The Guadalupe River is normally a peaceful, tree-lined meandering waterway, known for its popularity as a canoeing and tubing destination for thousands of people living in the Texas Hill Country.

But the Rev. Richard "Whitey" Koons, pastor of Seminole Springs Baptist Church, can't forget the day 25 years ago when the tranquil waters of the river became a raging rain-swollen torrent that swept away the lives of 10 youths he pastored at Seagoville Road Baptist Church in Balch Springs, a suburb of Dallas.

More than 30 others from the church, including Koons, were rescued from the river that day in a horrible tragedy that played out on national television and was later turned into a 1993 made for television movie, "The Flood: Who Will Save Our Children?"

"I don't think about it every single day, but I do think about it a lot of days," Koons said. "There were many nights when my wife and I cried ourselves to sleep those first few years."

Nowadays, Koons speaks at churches, conferences and youth camps about the day when the worst flooding in more than a half century hit the Guadalupe, sharing stories, pictures and video clips of incredible bravery, courage and heroism by rescuers and especially several of the teens who perished in the river.

"There were a lot of heroes that day," said Koons, a native of the Orlando area who still chokes up when talking about those who died.

"It's hard to believe it's been 25 years and that God is still using the tragedy to bring people closer to him."

'No rhyme or reason'

Koons, who also coached many of the teens at the church-run Balch Springs Christian Academy, said the days and weeks following the 1987 tragedy were the darkest and he wondered if he could have done anything differently.

"Ultimately, I had to grab on to the sovereignty of God," said Koons, a graduate of Arlington Baptist Church and Louisiana Baptist University. "There was no rhyme or reason as to why it happened."